Encana unlocks value

Article Excerpt

ENCANA CORP. $20.28 (Toronto symbol ECA; Shares outstanding: 740.2 million; Market cap: $15.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.4%; www.encana- .com) is one of North America’s largest natural gas producers. However, rising shale gas production has cut prices from $11.50 U.S. per thousand cubic feet in 2008 to just $3.63 today. That’s prompting Encana to cut its reliance on gas by narrowing its focus from around 30 properties to five: Montney (B.C.), Duvernay (Alberta), DJ Basin (Colorado), San Juan Basin (New Mexico) and Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (Louisiana). These five fields also produce significant amounts of oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs), such as butane and propane, and should last decades. Encana expects oil and NGLs to supply 75% of its cash flow by 2017, up from about 35% today. To free up cash for these developments, Encana has cut its quarterly dividend by 65.0%, to $0.07 a share from $0.20 (all amounts except share price and market cap in…